Snow White's Scary Adventures

Snow White's Scary Adventures was an attraction in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom.

Attraction History

Snow White's Scary Adventures originally opened as Snow White's Adventures on October 1, 1971 with the rest of the Magic Kingdom. Like many of the Magic Kingdom's opening day attractions, Snow White had originally been a Disneyland attraction, and was copied for inclusion in Disney's newest park.

While Snow White's Adventures proved to be popular upon its opening, the attraction was the frequent target of complaints by guests. Like its Disneyland counterpart, the original version of Snow White's Adventures did not feature the title character at all. Instead, the attraction was designed so that guests took the place of the film's heroine and experienced the events as if they were Snow White. Because of the esoteric approach that Imagineers took to telling the attraction's story, many guests did not understand that they were essentially Snow White's stand in, and frequently asked where the princess was. The second complaint that was often lofted at the attraction, was that it was simply too scary. The ethos of Snow White's Adventures was dark and menacing, a tone that many guests did not expect from a Fantasyland dark ride.

In response to guest concerns about the frightening nature of Snow White's Adventures, Disney attempted two remedies in order to warn guests. The first change came in when Disney renamed the attraction "Snow White's Scary Adventures". This rename, in conjunction with the addition of a sing warning guests to "beware the Wicked Witch" as she may frighten small children's on the ride, was Disney's attempt to prepare guests for the dark tone of the attraction.

The original version of Snow White's Scary Adventures continued to run until the summer of 1994, when the attraction closed for refurbishment. During the closure of the attraction, Disney attempted to make answer the two complaints that often plagued Snow White's Scary Adventures. To this end, a large number of changes were made that changed both the story the attraction told, as well as its ethos.

In order to make Snow White's Scary Adventures appeal to a wider audience, the darkness of the attraction was significantly toned down. The most significant change to come to the ride, was the addition of Snow White. With guests no longer taking the place of the films heroine, three Snow White animatronics and two large paintings were added to the attraction, in order to tell the princesses' story.

Also changing the plot of the attraction, was the addition of a new finale, in which the Wicked Witch was defeated and Snow White and her friends live happily ever after. To create space for the new ending, the original Mine scene had to be shortened.

In addition to these narrative changes, the new version of Snow White's Scary Adventures featured other significant changes. In order to further lighten the mood of the attraction, the Seven Dwarfs were featured more prominently, first in the their cottage, and then later during the attraction's finale. In addition to these alterations, other changes that occured during the 1994 refurbishment included:

• The replacement of the attraction's original mirror with a new "magic mirror"

• The replacement of one of the skeletons that served as a foreboding warning to guests was replaced by a new Wicked Witch figure.

• The lighting in the attraction was altered so that each scene was now brighter.

• Two Wicked Witch figures were removed completely.

• The forest that guests traveled through on the attraction was toned down to be less frightening.